Politics (Local and National) and Community
Plymouth women were politically active certainly from the middle of the nineteenth century, and they threw themselves into the opportunities provided by the legislation opening up both national and local politics to women. Women stood for election as Councillors, and their involvement with politics was encouraged by Plymouth having the first woman MP to take her seat, Nancy Astor. Lady Astor was, until her death, a huge encourager of local women to participate in politics, mentoring several of the figures on this list. Successive MPs, including Linda Gilroy, Joan Vickers and Janet Fookes, were similarly encouraging.
Dorothy F. Walrond Innes (1905-1981) Alderman Dorothy F. W. Innes was the second female Lord Mayor of Plymouth, elected in 1971. A State Registered Nurse (SRN), she had served with the Civil Nursing Reserve during WW2, acting as organiser for the civil nursing staff of the… Read More »Dorothy F. Walrond Innes
Bessie LeCras She lived in the Barbican, and was a member of the WSPU – making her a suffragette – in the years between 1910 and 1918. LeCras was one of the leading figures in persuading Nancy Astor to stand for election as MP for Plymouth Sutton, she… Read More »Bessie LeCras
Jacquetta Marshall (1878- The first female Lord Mayor of Plymouth, Mrs Jacquetta Marshall was appointed Alderman in 1950, and served as Lord Mayor 1950-1951. In her youth, she had been a suffragist, and a member of the NUWSS. A lifelong Labour and Co-operative supporter, she had joined… Read More »Jacquetta Marshall
Mrs Laura McClure (neé Ellicott) (1913-1996) She was the first woman councillor for Friary Ward, and, at the time, the youngest councillor then elected. Like her mother, Laura Ellicott, she was a Conservative, and prominent in the Young Conservatives in Plymouth, and was mentored by Nancy Astor. When first… Read More »Laura McClure (neé Ellicott)
Lucy Annie Middleton (1894-1983) Elected Labour MP for Plymouth Sutton in July 1945, in succession to Nancy Astor, she was one of only 24 women elected to the Commons that year. She retained the seat until 1951, when succeeded by Jakie Astor. She was an influential… Read More »Lucy Annie Middleton
Pauline Murphy (1959) She was Lord Mayor of Plymouth 2016-17, having also served as Lady Mayoress 2008-9. A regional data co-ordinator for Traveline Southwest, she has been a Labour Councillor for the Efford and Lipson ward since 2010, and as well as actively supporting initiatives… Read More »Pauline Murphy
Jean Nelder Elected a Labour Councillor for the Sutton Ward in 1987, she served as a City Councillor for that ward for an uninterrupted 28 years until her retirement in 2015. Universally respected for her integrity and commitment to the city as well as her ward, she… Read More »Jean Nelder
Vivian Pengelly A long-standing Councillor in the Conservative interest, representing the Dunstone Ward, se was first elected in 1989, and her current term expires in 2022. She became Lord Mayor in 2013, having served as leader of the City Council 2007-2012. In her role as… Read More »Vivian Pengelly
Pauline Purnell Labour Councillor for Honicknowle 2000-2010, she has been an active member and was a Director of Honicknowle Commnet, the community networking group set up in 1999 to respond to and promote the needs of the local community.
Mrs Hester Robins OBE Mrs Robins was elected a Liberal Councillor for the St Aubyn Ward in 1928, and sat as a councillor until her early death in 1936. An experienced member of the Board of Guardians, she became a member of the Plymouth Public… Read More »Hester Robins